Reclaim your creativity with my budget-friendly art prompts

Welcome to Better With Art! I’m Melinda, and I’m here to encourage you to reclaim your creativity and establish a healthy habit of creative self-care with weekly small art prompts. Whether you use an art journal or simple paper, my goal is to help you explore your artistic side and create without fear of judgment.

If you don’t have an art journal, you can keep your art in a folder or notebook. One of the benefits of having an art journal is the freedom to experiment and express yourself without concern for what others think. It’s your journal. And it’s as private as you want it to be.

If you want to share your BETTER WITH ART art to encourage others to practice creative self-care, that’s great! That’s why I share mine, to encourage YOU. And I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.

If you’re interested in an art journal, click here for my top recommendation. Yes, it’s a three-pack. But I find it the best value. And it will last you a bit of time. I’ve gone through a few. I use them in all of my Better With Art videos and for the art journal groups at the library where I work.  They work well with the dry, wet, and layered applications I use them for. I LOVE the paper. If searching for something different remember the paper needs to be heavyweight and preferably hot-press because although I love the texture of cold-press it’s really hard on markers and pens. This one is 140lb/300gsm.

Getting Started

Aside from your art journal or paper, you’ll need masking tape, watercolor (I usually use a Crayola basic eight set from a local not-dollar “dollar” store; you can find them on Amazon here), a paintbrush, and a pen (I’m using this inexpensive water resistant one from Amazon… and like it better than I expected to).

Start by taping off all the edges of your page. Then lay down lay down tapes in a random sort of grid. Pieces going from one edge to another, and crossing each other on their ways.

If you don’t have enough time to wait for watercolor to dry, or make it dry with a hair dryer (which I have and use) or a craft heat gun (which I don’t have), you can skip the watercolor step. But it is enjoyable and relaxing. I painted a simple rainbow gradient across my page.

After it’s totally dry, so you don’t ruin your pen, find a piece of tape that is completely on top of others. Trace along both edges, then remove the tape. In the Instagram reel that inspired project, the artist used curved, almost half circles parallel from edge to edge, creating hill or tunnel look. I decided to use straight, okay, straight-ish, and the imperfection adds character… process over product, and over perfection. Use whatever design(s) you’d like.

After your first line is done, find another top piece of tape and repeat the process. Keep going until all of your crossed pieces are gone, then trace your borders before removing them. If you want to decorate a frame, go for it. I did not.

The Importance of Creative Self-Care

Taking time for creative self-care is essential. We are wired for creativity, and when we don’t exercise it in ways we enjoy and find meaningful, we’re not be as healthy as we could be. I gave up regular art-making for years and felt the difference in my well-being. Now, I make art every day and find it therapeutic, healthful, and life-giving. Art isn’t the only way to exercise creativity, but it’s the one that works best for me.

Hop on over to YouTube to watch this week’s prompt and if you’re feeling inspired to take some time for creative self-care art-making I (and the YouTube algorithm) would appreciate a like and comment. Share with someone who also needs a reminder that art-making is not a waste of time. And subscribe for more creative inspiration and weekly art prompts.

Let’s keep creating and caring for our creative selves together!